New Delhi: Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan on Saturday met Congress President Sonia Gandhi at her 10 Janpath residence in the backdrop of rumour mills going agog over his imminent replacement.
Chavan, however, managed to hold on to the chief minister’s post, for now, after a day of hectic meetings with the Congress top brass. A final decision will be taken next week after Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, returns to Delhi.
The Maharashtra chief minister also met former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh at his residence after his meeting with the Congress president.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) President Sharad Pawar held a meeting with Ahmed Patel and A K Antony this week and raised questions pertaining to chief minister's functioning.
At this meeting, Pawar is believed to have told these leaders about the need to speed up the decision-making process, approve various pending projects on a war footing.
Coupled with that Pawar's nephew and Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar not having good equations with Chavan, Pawar is believed to have added the necessity to seek his replacement ahead of the crucial Maharashtra Assembly elections to be held later this year.
The Congress-NCP combine has been in power for 15 consecutive years since 1999.
